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Official announcements from World Data Lab - new research, partnerships, product launches and expert commentary on the global consumer economy.

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Recent press releases

Latest from World Data Lab

Beauty · 24 April 2026

The World Has 660 Million Potential Luxury Beauty Buyers, World Data Lab Maps Where They Are

Explore the rise of luxury beauty consumers, with NYC leading the market, and discover emerging cities set to redefine beauty spending by 2030.

Anna KiknadzeRead release

30 releases · Page 1 of 3

Sport

11 March 2026· 3 min read

Global Sports Market on Track to Hit $1 Trillion by 2029, New World Data Lab Analysis Reveals

New research reveals sport participation as one of the strongest predictors of premium consumer spending, with US gym-goers spending $23,000 more per year across all categories, and the global sports market alone is on track to hit $1T by 2029.

Anna Kiknadze

World Data Lab Reveals That Nearly Half of Global Spending Happens Within Just Three Time Zones

Consumer Outlook

13 November 2025· 3 min read

World Data Lab Reveals That Nearly Half of Global Spending Happens Within Just Three Time Zones

Of the planet’s projected $65 trillion in total consumption in 2025, equivalent to $168 billion per day, or $7 billion per hour, nearly 50% occurs in just three time zones: Eastern Standard Time (US East Coast), Central European Time, and China Standard Time. Expanding to six zones, with the addition of Central Standard Time (US Midwest), Pacific Standard Time (US/Canada West Coast), and Japan/Korea Standard Time, covers nearly ¾ of global spending. The findings highlight a dramatic reimagining of the global consumer landscape: understanding when consumers are active is just as critical as knowing where they are.

Anna Kiknadze

World Data Lab closes multi-million funding round and marks 10 years of data innovation

Consumer Outlook

22 September 2025· 3 min read

World Data Lab closes multi-million funding round and marks 10 years of data innovation

Vienna, Austria, Thursday, 18 September 2025 World Data Lab (WDL), a leading data and software provider for global consumer spending and demographics, today announced the close of a multi-million funding round led by Sparring Capital. The new capital will be used to expand WDL’s footprint beyond FMCG into additional industry verticals, particularly technology - while accelerating AI capabilities across its flagship World Data Intelligence platform.

World Data Lab

Sport

2 September 2025· 2 min read

World Data Lab launches “Data Talks,” a new podcast hosted by economist and storyteller Wolfgang Fengler

Data Talks is a every two week conversation series that proves data isn’t just for analysts, it’s the common language behind sporting triumphs, market breakthroughs and social progress. Economist and storyteller Wolfgang Fengler sits down with world-class athletes, leading economists, founders, policy-makers and creative thinkers to unpack the numbers shaping their fields. Together they translate charts into clear take-aways, challenge assumptions with evidence and show how good data can turn bold ideas into practical action.

World Data Lab

Generations

10 July 2025· 5 min read

Overlooked and Under-Marketed: “Gen X” Emerges as Most Influential Global Consumer Cohort, According to NIQ and World Data Lab

NielsenIQ (“NIQ”), in collaboration with World Data Lab (WDL), today issued a comprehensive generational spending report focused on Gen X. The X Factor: How Generation X is quietly driving trillions in consumer spending reveals that Gen X - those born between 1965 and 1980 - is the most influential and overlooked consumer cohort of the next decade. An authority on generational spend, NIQ found that despite being smaller in size than Millennials or Gen Z, Gen X would form the world’s second-largest consumer market - second only to the U.S. and roughly twice the size of China’s total spending - in 2025.

World Data Lab

Partnership

18 June 2025· 3 min read

Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and World Data Lab Deepen Partnership to Support the Global Middle Class

World Data Lab

Generations

27 May 2025· 2 min read

Gen X is Spending Trillions World Data Lab and NIQ Reveal the World’s Most Overlooked Consumer at NACS Europe 2025

COPENHAGEN | May 26, 2025 Gen X is not just alive and well, they are quietly driving a global spending surge worth $15.2 trillion. Yet most brands still aren’t paying attention.

World Data Lab

Consumer Outlook

15 May 2025· 2 min read

106 Million New Middle-Class Consumers Set to Add US $2T to Global Spending in 2025, Says World Data Lab

World Data Lab (WDL) has released its latest World Consumer Outlook and projects that the consumer boom is cooling. Only 106 million people are expected to join the global middle class, down from last year’s 116 million. WDL now projects that global consumer spending will only grow by US$ 2trillion, a decline of $1 trillion dollars below the January forecast. The stronger dollar, softer real growth and lower inflation have jointly shaved a percentage point off next year’s expansion, turning what looked like a break-out year into one of cautious accumulation.

World Data Lab

Consumer Outlook

9 May 2025· 2 min read

World Data Lab unveils new World Consumer Outlook #7 findings ahead of World Retail Congress

Vienna / London World Data Lab today released headline insights from World Consumer Outlook #7 (Chief Economist Roundtable Consumer Spending in an Uncertain World), its quarterly deep dive into global spending trends and demographic change. The latest edition tracks how three macro-economic scenarios, current path, global setbacks, and reforms-driven recovery, will reshape purchasing power across the United States and other major economies through to 2030.

World Data Lab

Partnership

1 May 2025· 2 min read

World Data Lab launches The New Global Consumer: one billion additional middle-class consumers expected by 2035

Washington, D.C. 24 April 2025 World Data Lab today released The New Global Consumer, a briefing that traces the continued expansion of the global middle class and examines the implications for demand over the coming decade. The analysis, co-presented at the 2025 Global Inclusive Growth Summit by Dr Wolfgang Fengler, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of World Data Lab, and Michelle Meyer, Head and Chief Economist at the Mastercard Economics Institute projects that the middle-class population will rise from 4.1 billion today to just over 5 billion by 2035.

World Data Lab

Cities

19 February 2025· 3 min read

6000 Cities Now Drive Half of Global Consumer Spending – New Analysis from World Data Lab Highlights the strength of secondary cities.

Vienna, Austria – February 20, 2025 – New York City is the world’s largest consumer market. If it were a country, its total spending would rank between Canada and Russia, underscoring the economic power concentrated in urban centers. New data confirms that cities now account for 50% of global consumer spending, despite covering just 0.4% of the world’s landmass. With 70 million people moving to urban areas each year, economic activity is becoming increasingly concentrated in cities, solidifying their role as the primary drivers of global consumption.

World Data Lab

Cities

17 February 2025· 2 min read

Press Release: World Data Lab Unveils Groundbreaking Insights on Global Consumer Spending Trends in Cities

Vienna, Austria – February 20, 2025 – World Data Lab (WDL) is unveiling its latest research in “Spending in the City”, offering a data-driven look at how urban centers are reshaping global consumer spending. With cities now accounting for 50% of total global spending while covering just 0.4% of the world’s landmass, businesses must rethink their strategies to remain competitive.

World Data Lab

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